Chapter 97: Running from trouble
Jessica, who had been humming softly and enjoying the peaceful walk, was briefly stunned when Jeff suddenly closed the distance between them.
But instead of pulling away, she was relaxed. As she found herself liking the warmth of his presence and the closeness between them.
However, when she felt his arm wrapped firmly across her back, his hand resting at her elbow, the space between them disappeared completely.
The closeness was no longer just comforting, rather it was so provocative.
Her face suddenly turned red like a ripe fruit, and her mind spiraled into panic, confused by the sudden passionate contact.
"Isn’t this too fast? Why, why, why... are you this touchy?" she screamed in her thoughts, her eyes lowering completely flustered by it.
Both her hands were at her sides, clutching the fabric of her dress tightly.
She peeked up just a little and saw that he was simply looking straight ahead without feeling embarrassed, as they continued walking.
Seeing his face still serious even after what he had done, her shy expression quickly faded, replaced by a mix of confused and suspicious look.
She glanced forward but saw nothing unusual. She tried to look back, but Jeff’s hand tightened slightly on her elbow, stopping her.
She turned her gaze to him, eyes narrowing even further.
"Is there something going on?" she asked, her voice low and uneasy, a bad feeling starting to settle in her chest.
Jeff looked at her with a calm expression and said, "Yes, those guys have been following us for about an hour now. It started when we were on the ride coming here."
"Really? Then why didn’t you tell me?" she asked, her face filled with fear as she instinctively moved closer to him.
"That’s because I was still observing," Jeff replied calmly.
"I didn’t want to jump to conclusions or accuse anyone if it was just a coincidence. But every move we made, they followed. Even now, they’re still behind us. So I came to this conclusion."
Hearing that they had actually been following them for a full hour, Jessica’s fear deepened.
It was no longer something she could brush off since this wasn’t just her imagination. It was something real.
Feeling her body trembling slightly, Jeff softened his grip on her arm and spoke gently.
"Don’t be too nervous. Nothing will happen to us," he said, trying to reassure her.
Hearing his words, she gave a small nod and took a deep breath to calm herself.
She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, hoping to call someone but there was no signal.
The area was in the top of the mountains, and her SIM card, which used Globe, had no reception at all.
"Let’s call the cops, but I have no service here. Can you try yours? I think other SIMs might still have a signal," she said, her voice filled with urgency.
"I don’t have a signal either. Same as you, my SIM is also Globe." as he shook his head calmly.
Seeing that their only chance of calling for help was gone, she could only remain silent.
They had finally reached the path that led down the mountain, a narrow road with trees covering both sides.
It was already getting dark, since the sun was hidden behind the mountains, and the area was now completely empty of people that is a terrible time to be alone. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Should... should we ru-run?" she asked him, her voice trembling slightly.
"Can you run with that?" he asked, glancing down at her sandals.
The answer was clearly no. Since her footwear wasn’t meant for running, especially not on steep stairs.
The path ahead was rough, the stairs were steep and uneven. If she tried to run, her sandals might break or worse, she could slip and fall.
Jessica looked at her sandals, clearly in a dilemma. They were getting closer to the stairs, and now they were deep inside the path, far from the viewing deck where people still lingered.
Suddenly, Jeff heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind him. It was fast and loud.
As he turned his head and saw them. Those men were rushing straight towards them.
With that, he moved. He scooped her into his arms in a princess carry and dashed toward the stairs.
Jessica caught off guard let out a surprised gasp, muffled by the sudden burst of motion.
His legs pushed off the ground with powerful strength, and his body responded with perfect rhythm, each step was precise.
Then the steep stairs came into view. They were jagged and uneven, the kind that could trip up anyone who wasn’t careful.
Under normal circumstances, running down them would be reckless. But Jeff was no longer normal.
Not after what had happened the night before, the kinetic energy inside of him turned him something unordinary.
He charged downward with Jessica in his arms, without even hesitating.
His legs moved with powerful momentum, his knees bending just enough to soften each landing.
His upper body leaned forward slightly, maintaining both balance and speed. There was no panic in his movements, only deep focus.
Each motion was fluid, as if he had practiced this path a hundred times.
Jessica clung to him tightly. There were no shakes, no jerks, not even the slightest sign of strain. It felt like he was gliding.
He ran as if the weight in his arms didn’t exist at all. Behind them, the heavy slams of footsteps on the cemented path came to an abrupt stop.
The three men in black who had been chasing them stood at the top of the stairs, frozen in place.
All of their eyes were wide, and their jaws clenched tight.
What they saw completely caught them off guard. The person they were trying to corner, and capture was nothing like they had expected.
They had almost believed the chase was over, and that they had their targets right where they wanted them.
But now, they realized they were wrong, they were completely wrong.
The three men stared at the young man ahead of them. He wasn’t just running down a dangerous incline with someone in his arms.
It looked like he was gliding, practically dancing down the stone path as if the terrain meant nothing to him.
His movements were smooth without any slips and drag. It was only speed and silence.
One of the men stepped forward, his fists trembling, "What kind of monster is that kid to be able to run like that?"
"Even while carrying someone, he’s still moving so fast," said another, his voice filled with disbelief.
The man in the center pulled out his phone and barked a few sharp words into it. After ending the call, he turned and smacked the two men besides him.
"What are you two doing just standing there? Go after them!" he shouted, his eyes burning red.
Hearing the command, the two men rushed down the stairs, but their speed was nowhere near Jeff’s.
Each step had to be taken with caution, because one misstep meant tumbling down nonstop until reaching the flat resting area halfway down.
The stairway stretched over two hundred steps before reaching the halfway landing. After that, it continued for another two hundred steps all the way down to the bottom.
It was the kind of path that made your legs tremble just from looking down.
The leader clicked his tongue in irritation, then sprinted after them. His movements were sharper and faster than the other two, but even he couldn’t match Jeff’s pace.
Meanwhile, Jeff kept running. He didn’t look back, not even once. Since his goal was to get away fast.
His balance was perfect and every movement he made was deliberate, fluid, and unstoppable.
Each footfall landed with precision. Even with the sharp descent, he didn’t slow down for a second.
His movements remained steady and fast, like gravity itself was helping rather than hindering him.
From where the men stood, Jeff’s figure grew smaller and smaller until he became nothing more than a silhouette at the bottom of the slope.
What they had witnessed wasn’t just speed. It was something that defied reason.
Finally, Jeff reached the center resting area. Jessica who was still in his arms, had been screaming nonstop.
And who could blame her? One wrong step, and the hospital would be their only stop, accompanied by a body full of fractures and wounds.
"Jeff, slow down, slow down," she yelled, her eyes tightly shut, holding on for dear life.
But he didn’t stop. He passed through the resting area without hesitation and continued his descent down the second half of the stairway, his pace did not stop.
His speed had built up even more with the downward slope, and even he was surprised by how well he was managing it all.
His balance was perfect accompanied by his absolute control. Finally, he reached the bottom of the mountain.
Just a little farther and they would be past the trees and out of this place. But then he stopped.
Right near the exit stood five men dressed in black, spread out across the path blocking the way forward.
Jeff’s eyes darted to the sides. The tree line, which might have been an escape route, was no better.
On both the left and right sides, two more men appeared, stepping out from the shadows.
He was surrounded with nowhere left to run, his thoughts raced as he tightened his hold on Jessica.
He hadn’t provoked anyone, so why now? also why him? Did he offend someone without knowing? Or was this something bigger?
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